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Nefarious is about being the bad guy! Face the trials and tribulations of being a 2D platformer villain as you do what villains do best! Your goal in each stage is to kidnap a princess, and then thwart a hero. Your ultimate goal is to conquer the world! Mwahaha! Currently our target platforms are PC, Mac, Linux, and Wii U. We need you to help us reach our goals!

It's time to explore the dynamic between villains and princesses. So many damsels in distress are largely absent from their games, even if they are the subject of the title! (We’re looking at you, Zelda.) What’s their story? The hero is only 1/3 of the story. It's time to explore the other 2/3.

What are the parallels between a hero’s journey and a villain’s one? Some of the challenges they face must be similar. But what aspects of this journey are unique to villainy? Let's find out!

And we've got tunes! Enjoy this sample of the main theme courtesy of the very talented Matthew Taranto!

The best laid plans will go awry. And sometimes kidnapping the princess can become... complicated.

A princess with wings will make you lighter than air while carrying her.
One composed of pure energy supercharges your abilities just by being in close proximity.

A scorching princess may have an adverse effect on your suit and do strange things to your explosive ammo.

The tool of our malefactor’s trade. Crow is equipped with a mechanical glove of his own design which grants him various destructive abilities!

Using the Power Glove, Crow can fire deadly grenades at his foes. These would-be heroes find themselves engulfed in a fireball of explosive fury, noxious gases, and just the most awful smells.

For starters, your bomb can bounce before exploding. So long as you don't strike an enemy directly, you can use it to reach tricky areas that you cannot easily reach yourself.

Some bombs stick! Detonating sticky bombs on command means that these lethal (and incredibly sticky) weapons can be used for controlled grenade jumps. Boost in to the air with multiple grenades to gain an unfair advantage over the despicable heroes.

...Or, if you feel like being particularly evil, set traps for your pursuers and watch the gibs fly, a great party trick!

Crow's power armor is calibrated to counteract the shock of his own grenades. So, instead of being blown to bits, use grenades strategically to access hard to reach areas.

Crow prides himself on being a classic villain. His hobbies include putting damsels in distress, trying to take over the world, and building giant robots to do his bidding for him. Crow is a professional antagonist and takes his job of organized menace very seriously.

Crow’s secretary of evil! There is a lot of minutia to running a tyrannical empire. Someone has to keep the HR department running smoothly and make sure the minion healthcare payments are processed in a timely manner. That person is Becky, Crow’s number 2 assistant.

Mayapple loves being a princess and everything that comes with it. She enjoys baking cakes, playing tennis and picnics on sunny days. Being kidnapped is a mild inconvenience to her royal duties, but she never neglects to invite Crow for a day of go-karting.

A hardworking princess who is very diligent about ruling over the Insectoid people. However, she's quick to accept a break from her royal duties. Everyone needs a day off every now and then.

Meet Princess Farrah Day! (Get it?)
Not much is known about this little ball of energy. Made in a lab, she's a pinch of elegance, a dash of grace and the essence of royalty. Has science gone too far in its pursuit to develop the perfect princess?

Tephra makes her home in the lava kingdoms. A hot-blooded monarch of fire, she is the largest of the known princesses. The ambient temperature around her can exceed 300 degrees! Approach with caution.

Ariella knows two things: ruling her kingdom and fighting. A warrior princess at heart, she's not a big fan of the status quo, and woe to any villain who thinks she can be easily swept away from her strict training regiment.

Why Kickstarter?

Because we want to make this game specifically for you! We want to make the game you want, not the game a publisher wants. We want to interface directly with you and speak to you during the development cycle. Our fans will be our top priority, which makes creating a fun engaging adventure our end game.

Nefarious is a dream project that we've spent a lot of time on. We have beta tested several ideas and mechanics and made several iterations. Only after we ensured our core mechanic is fun have we decided to launch our Kickstarter. Now that’s done though, we need your help to get this production into high gear. Join us on a crazy adventure!

Drawing cues from greats such as Earthworm Jim, we wanted to have classically animated characters with life and personality. Exploring this world should be fun!

Throughout the game, Crow and the Princess will often banter back and forth. Nefarious will not have standard cut scenes, you will be free to move while talking to various NPC's.

Not every opponent you come across is a hero attempting to rescue the princess you just kidnapped. Sometimes, they just want to eat both of you.

We're planning a diverse range of environments, some more spooky than others.

Raise your minions’ morale with some karaoke! Inside Crow’s lair, you can interact with your minions between worlds.

We have a collection of awards that we can't wait to make! In this section we will briefly go over some of the goodies you can nab by making pledges. Many images seen here are mockups and subject to visual updates.

All reward tiers come with a copy of the game! We’re planning to make Nefarious available for PC, Mac, Linux and Wii U for release.

Musical stylings provided by Matthew Taranto and David Levy! The digital soundtrack is available at the Bandit tier and up!

The Nefarious instruction manual! We haven't seen one of these in a while, but there is something charming about these little booklets of games gone by.

The Double Trouble Bundle Tier includes a copy of Tadpole Treble when it releases later this year in December. This game features the music of Nefarious musician, Matthew Taranto! You can find out more about it here.

We managed to snag one of Crow's propaganda posters! At the right pledge tier you could get your own copy (signed by the team!) and recruit your own henchmen!

$60,000 Musical Stage: Who doesn't love a good musical? Music themed forces for virtue, the Treble Rangers assault Crow’s airship! They fight for justice! For love! For music! For all of the above!

$70,000 Additional Princess: Another Kingdom, another Princess! A new power, extra levels, and more challenges!

$80,000 Hero Rush Mode: Unlock the back to back Reverse Boss Fights as an endurance test. See if you can defeat the best heroes the world of Nefarious has to offer in one fell swoop!

$90,000 Additional Princess: Yet another Princess! A new power, extra levels and more challenges.

$100,000 New Game +: Start a new game with all your upgrades and stats intact. Tougher enemies, more unique challenges, and perhaps some other surprises.

$110,000 Additional Princess: As with all Princesses, spiriting her away provides some manner of complication. And she comes with an extra level pack and challenge.

$120,000 Minion Co-Op Mode: Plug in an extra controller and invite a second player who will assist Crow in his adventure. A loyal minion! Lackey Prime. Henchmen number 1!

$130,000 Local Versus Mode: Villainy becomes a competitive sport! Up to four villains clash to see who can be the biggest baddie.

We have a crack team of specialists who are very talented in their fields, many of which already have successful projects/games under their belts and boast many years of experience.

Josh Hano is a freelance artist and animator currently working out of Baton Rouge. Inspired by games such as Earthworm Jim, Megaman and other classics, he's set out to create his own. His recent projects have been Reactor HD, Tadpole Treble at Bitfinity games and Swap Drop Poker at Pixel Dash Studios. Some of his work can be viewed here.

A game designer with a silly hat. By day, he makes games. By night, he also makes games. They say he has previously lived in China, Indonesia, and on the moon. He's an alumnus of the mysterious Game Creation Society. Rosstin's last project was Rex Rocket and is currently a mission designer on Road Redemption. His credo is "Why are you reading this instead of making a game?"

Jameson is an experienced software entrepreneur with years of experience developing and shipping entertainment products. Most recently Jameson developed the mobile game Dream Flight, which received wide praise and honors for its unique style. Jameson is also well known in the mobile development community for his work on popular apps such as PhotoGoo, Reactor HD, and his uniquely approachable writing about mobile software development on jamesonquave.com

Matthew Taranto

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Music

The man with the musical plan. Matt is the artist/writer on the successful webcomic Brawl in the Family, and along with his brother Micheal, head of musical game Tadpole Treble. On Nefarious, Matt will be providing a host of musical ear candy. Who knew Villains and Tadpoles would get along so well?

David Levy

Austin, Texas

Sound Engineer, Music

Good games need good sound design. Enter David Levy, composer of music and sound effects. Sound can really bring a project to life, and David is no stranger to the process. His past works have included Dream Flight and Princess Pow! His portfolio can be viewed here.

Risks and challenges

The biggest risk we face may be delays on production. As the project goes on, new incredibly cool ideas are bound to crop from us or our backers. And a good production is a balance of staying on target, but also being open to new ideas. We are asking for a tight budget to fund a skeleton crew of experienced professionals. In the event of a disaster we are willing to partner with a publisher in order to ensure a shipped project. However, we will do everything in our power to prevent that from occurring. This game will be our life for a year and we will see it be the foundation of our studio.

We could also be struck by lightning. The chance of an average person living in the US being struck by lightning in a given year is estimated at 1 in 500,000. Granted it’s a slim chance, but it’s a chance nonetheless. We just wanted you to be aware.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 50 or more
About US$ 50

Double Trouble Tier

The Nefarious + Tadpole Treble bundle! Get everything in the villain tier PLUS Tadpole Treble upon its release. A great pledge for fans of Matthew Taranto's music and want something a few months early. (Tadpole Treble projected launch: Dec. 2014)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $90 or more
About $90

Cursed Relic Tier (International)

Get your hands on a custom USB stick of DOOM! A wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious. Select this tier if you are outside of the US.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 120 or more
About US$ 120

Siren Tier

Let your voice be heard! Send a message to Crow's answering machine which is accessible in-game. We'll play up to a 15 second message. (If it's within reason) A great way to get yourself in the game! If you pledged higher than the Siren tier, you may opt-in at no extra cost. This tier also includes a wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

The Mastermind Tier

The physical package of goodies! The signed poster, the printed manual, the Custom USB, a wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book,your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

The Mastermind Tier (International)

The physical package of goodies! The signed poster, the printed manual, the Custom USB, a wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book,your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious. Select this tier if you are outside of the US.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 300 or more
About US$ 300

Scoundrel Tier

Join Crow’s army! One of Crow’s NPC minions will bear your name and will utter a phrase of your choosing (within reason) upon passing them in Crow’s airship. A wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 320 or more
About US$ 320

Magnificent Minion Tier

Become immortalized as an in-game statue. Where you'll be on display in the Hall of Magnificent Minions. A place to honor those who have done a great service to Crow. Those who are pledged at the Malefactor and Tyrant tier, will be included in this tier automatically. This also includes a wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 400 or more
About US$ 400

Malefactor Tier

Become a VIP member of Crow’s army. A minion bearing your name and your face will be viewable in the VIP lounge of Crow’s ship, and will also utter a phrase of your choosing. A wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Megalomaniac Tier

Physical package UPGRADED. All the physical rewards plus a hardbound copy of the artbook! A physical DVD of Nefarious. A wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the creditsand a digital copy of Nefarious

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Megalomaniac Tier (International)

Physical package UPGRADED. All the physical rewards plus a hardbound copy of the artbook! A physical DVD of Nefarious. A wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the creditsand a digital copy of Nefarious. Select this tier if you are outside of the US.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $600 or more
About $600

Mad Scientist Tier

Design one of Crow’s enemies (within reason)! We will work with you to create an enemy that fits within the world of Nefarious. A wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, a designer credit and a digital copy of Nefarious

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,200 or more
About $1,200

Tyrant Tier

Become an important NPC somewhere in Nefarious! Have dialogue, become involved in the main story line by giving out an objective or special item! We'll work with you to design your character (within reason) and figure out how best to incorporate you! A wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 1,800 or more
About US$ 1,800

Paragon of Virtue!

Become a hero! Be the subject of a reverse boss fight. We will design you as a hero, and you get to go toe-to-toe with Crow! (Though, playing as Crow you'd be fighting yourself!) This gets you the wallpaper, the digital soundtrack, the PDF instruction manual, the digital art book, your name in the credits and a digital copy of Nefarious.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

Magnificent Bastard Tier

A producer credit plus lunch with the creators of Nefarious! Visit us in New Orleans, LA and we'll have a night out on the town (travel and accommodation not provided). Plus any three previous rewards you wish!